Community Magazine October 2019

The Earliest Complete Manuscript of the Bible T he Keter (Hebrew for “Crown”) sits in secure, temperature-controlled cases on the lower level of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, and holds a place of honor akin to the Dead Sea Scrolls. Otherwise known as the Aleppo Codex – signifying the Aleppo Jewish community’s careful preservation of this text for nearly 600 years – the Keter is the earliest known complete manuscript of the Bible ever written. “Keter” is a Jewish term of respect in Middle East countries for a select few ancient Hebrew biblical manuscripts. A codex is in the form of a book – not a collection of scrolls – and represents a transformation from scrolls to book format. The Aleppo Codex is the first known manuscript in this format. The Codex is seen as a fulfillment of the words of the prophet Yeshayahu (2:3), “for instruction (Torah) shall come forth from Zion; the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” – that Torah knowledge and instruction will emerge from the Land of Israel. Written by the Masoretes scholars in the 10th Century in the city of Tiberias – a major center of Jewish learning after the destruction of the Second Temple – the text includes the pronunciation, spelling, punctuation, and cantillation handed down through many generations, and it was used by the Rambam in outlining the laws relevant to a Torah scroll in his magnum opus, the Mishneh Torah. Most of the Codex was written in three columns, vocalized according to the Tiberian system where vowels were placed beneath the letters, unlike the Babylonian system of placing the vowels above the letters. Cantillation accents are inscribed above or beneath the words, providing phonetic information about where a word should be accented, as well as information on where to pause and how the words should be sung. The Codex also includes commentary on spelling, which may affect the meaning of words. These comments appear in the margins, between columns and above and below text. A Manuscript’s Journey The colophon (inscription at the end of the manuscript) indicates that it was copied by the scribe Solomon ben Beya’a, a scion from a well-known family of scribes. It also states that the manuscript includes all 24 books of the Bible, and that it was purchased years after its completion by a wealthy Karaite from Basra, Iraq named Israel Simhah, who donated it to the Karaite synagogue in Jerusalem. The vocalization, cantillation, and masoretic comments were added by Aaron ben Asher, the last of the Masoretes who represents the final link in the chain of tradition. The only copy of the colophon was made by Professor Umberto Cassuto during his visit to Aleppo in 1943 to study it. Aleppo Codex – SARINA ROFFÉ Above is the plan of the Great Synagogue of Aleppo. 40 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE